Thursday, May 29, 2014

In case you haven't been watching Cosmos or following the craziness...

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Weather versus Climate is the latest info from Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - the scientist behind the new incarnation of Cosmos.
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This new Cosmos has become a lighting rod for the Biblical Literalists to attack, because Dr. Tyson explains the science behind stating that the World is billions of years old (versus 6,000), that the Big Bang occurred, and makes science reasonable.
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This next episode will have the deliberately ignorant spinning their heads. It discusses climate change and the difference between climate and weather.
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You know, I have been thinking about this for a while. I think the whole reason we have a debate about this is liberals' own fault. Liberals, with good intentions, allowed home schooling and a debate about evolution. Because, it didn't' matter. If people wanted to be idiots about evolution, we let them. It doesn't really hurt anything.
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But it did! It gave power to the idea that science is debatable. That an asinine idea - a 6,000 year old Earth where man and dinosaurs lived together like Fred Flintstone and Dino, was equivalent to the scientific consensus that evolution occurs. We didn't argue, because who cares. The crazies didn't reject evolution of disease - which allows for modern medicine, they didn't reject science of microprocessors that allowed computers, or aerodynamics that allowed flight. If they wanted to be stupid, no harm no foul.
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But now their current dogged determination to reject education and science does actually hurt people. And will hurt more. I say AGAIN, you don't have to believe man is responsible for climate change to be prepared, but around the country the climate change deniers are being actively destructive and harmful.
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North Carolina's coastal commission isn't allowed to plan for sea level rise or higher intensity hurricanes.
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The military, which has identified climate change as a major threat, cause of wars and high risk area, isn't allowed to consider climate change in future plans (actually only passed a House committee and won't make it to the President).
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Being deliberately ignorant when it only effects you and your family is one thing. Being deliberately ignorant when it effects the country is traitorous.
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And the new Republican mantra "I'm not qualified to talk to the Science of Climate Change" is even worse. (Here - John Bohner; Here Mark RubioHere -Rick Scott; Here - Rep Lamar Smith - Chairman of the House Science Committee) This nice piece of verbal crap, which is effective in changing the subject, allows them to kill legislation, while pretending to admit they aren't sure of what to do.
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It is - the little sidestep.
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